One of the construction methods for office containers, which is commercially very successful and has a high acceptance rate, especially when used at building sites, is a sea-container-like modular structure which is widespread in Europe and especially in Germany. In recent years, there likewise seems to be a trend for using such modular structures in the Far East, in North America and elsewhere. Various designs are thereby available, from lightweight, favourably-priced construction methods up to heavy and higher-quality constructions that meet the highest safety standards. They offer good heat insulation and meet the requirements of the building regulations in most developed countries.
There are, however, drawbacks which are connected to the manufacture, transport and handling of such large, modular units. In particular, the manufacture of the conventional container frame is very labour-intensive and requires extensive welding work and a lot of surface finishing work such that the production can take up a lot of time. Furthermore, the size and the width of such modules are, as a rule, limited to the height and width of a transport vehicle, which makes covering large distances (more particularly in the case of transport overseas) impractical and expensive for larger structural units. The loading and unloading of conventional office containers, even in collapsed form, also furthermore requires special equipment such as cranes and forklift trucks. Because of the low production rate and the restricted transport possibilities, a sudden high demand cannot readily be met, as, by way of example, in the event of natural disasters.